Free to follow every thread. No paywall, no dead ends.
Star Wars video games | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Early Licensed Beginnings —
Star Wars video games.
~8 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
In 1978, Apple Computer produced an unlicensed Star Wars game on cassette tape for its Apple II. A player acting as a space pilot trainee destroyed TIE fighters using a first-person heads-up display. The first video game cartridge bearing the name Star Wars appeared that year on RCA Studio II clones Sheen M1200 and Mustang Telespiel Computer. Kenner released the first official licensed Star Wars electronic game in 1979 called Star Wars Electronic Battle Command. This table-top game featured three levels of play including basic, intermediate, and advanced modes. Players examined star systems to avoid black holes and locate enemies while searching for MAGNA, described as the force-giving star. Atari began releasing licensed games for the Atari 2600 with The Empire Strikes Back in 1982. Pilots controlled snowspeeders during the Battle of Hoth to destroy AT-AT walkers. Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle followed in 1983 where players controlled the Millennium Falcon to destroy the second Death Star. Jedi Arena became the first game to attempt simulating a lightsaber battle inspired by Luke Skywalker training scenes. An arcade version of Star Wars arrived in 1983 featuring color vector graphics and digitized speech from the film. Players piloted Luke's Red Five X-Wing fighter through waves of TIE fighters led by Darth Vader. The sequel The Empire Strikes Back used similar technology to recreate scenes from the second film. Domark released several 8-bit versions of the Star Wars vector arcade game in 1987. Namco developed a Star Wars game for the Nintendo Family Computer exclusively for the Japanese market in 1987. Super Star Wars trilogy titles appeared on the SNES starting in 1992.
LucasArts Golden Era
George Lucas decided to invest in video games in the early 1980s and created his own company named LucasArts. The company initially developed original adventure games and World War II flight combat games before regaining rights to develop Star Wars games in 1993. Star Wars: X-Wing launched as the first self-published Star Wars video game and established the beginning of the X-Wing computer game series. It was one of the best-selling games of 1993 and garnered numerous awards and recognition. Star Wars: Rebel Assault followed in 1993 using FMV and photos extensively. Dark Forces arrived in 1995 as the first Star Wars first-person shooter video game. Kyle Katarn became the player character who would later appear in multiple games, novels, and comics. Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II released in 1997 while Mysteries of the Sith came out in 1999. Jedi Outcast gave players their first chance to experience advanced lightsaber duels in 2002. Shadows of the Empire placed players in control of mercenary Dash Rendar between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi. Star Wars: Rebellion broke new ground by incorporating ships and planets not found in the original canon such as the Rebel Assault Frigate. Galactic Battlegrounds offered a better alternative for strategy seekers using the Age of Kings engine. Knights of the Old Republic debuted on Microsoft Xbox and PC in 2003 winning Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards. BioWare developed this RPG while Obsidian Entertainment created its sequel The Sith Lords in 2004. Star Wars Galaxies launched in 2003 as the first MMORPG before servers shut down on the 15th of December 2011.
Canon Restructuring And Legends
On the 24th of April 2014, most previous licensed Star Wars video games were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. This decision affected all media produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars including novels and comics. The X-Wing series marked the start of Star Wars games moving away from remaking official films to focus more on the Expanded Universe. Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 which led to the closure of LucasArts the following year. Games developed during the first two eras were discarded from the canon in 2014 and reassigned to the non-canonical Star Wars Legends label. The Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire title was part of a LucasArts attempt to create a story between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi. It featured fan-favorite parts from the Super Star Wars line such as reenactments of the Battle of Hoth. After the original trilogy was re-released as Special Editions in 1997, LucasArts published other titles including Yoda Stories and Monopoly. Masters of Teräs Käsi became a Star Wars-themed fighting game released that same year. The restructuring meant that future games would fall under the restructured canon managed by the Lucasfilm Story Group.
Electronic Arts Exclusive License
Disney and Lucasfilm revealed a partnership with Electronic Arts on the 3rd of April 2013 granting EA exclusive rights to produce Star Wars games for consoles and PC for a decade. Disney retained freedom to handle mobile platforms while EA received the license for home systems. EA released its first Star Wars video game under the Disney brand on the 14th of October 2014. Their deal was expected to expire on the 14th of October 2024 when Electronic Arts was expected to leave the franchise. Among EA subsidiaries responsible for creating Star Wars games were developers DICE, BioWare, Visceral Games, and Respawn Entertainment. Star Wars Battlefront II faced mixed reception leading to rumors about changing license terms. Lower-than-expected sales caused EA's exclusive deal to halt in January 2021 more than three years before contract expiration. Andrew Wilson stated they were doubling down on Star Wars games following success of Jedi Fallen Order. DICE rebooted the Battlefront series after canon restructuring with the first game released in 2015 rushed into market to tie in with The Force Awakens. Fans heavily criticized the move to focus entirely on online multiplayer without a single player campaign. Iden Versio became an Imperial special forces commander controlling the story mode set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
Cancelled Projects And Studio Closures
At E3 2012, EA with LucasArts announced Star Wars 1313 focusing on bounty hunter life descending to level 1313 on Coruscant. The game targeted Fall 2013 release for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows but was cancelled by LucasArts following Disney purchase. Amy Hennig joined Visceral as creative lead on Project Ragtag which was codenamed before its cancellation. On the 17th of October 2017, EA announced closure of Visceral Games and reassigned the game to EA Worldwide Studios led by EA Vancouver. Jason Schreier reported on the 15th of January 2019 that Project Ragtag had been canceled according to three people familiar with goings-on at EA. Gary Whitta openly criticized Electronic Arts for the cancelation hoping Disney would hand the Star Wars license to other companies. Various online browser games shut down their servers and can no longer be played after Lucasfilm acquisition. Star Wars: First Assault remained a first-person shooter project from 2013 while Attack Squadrons appeared in 2014. Battle of the Sith Lords stayed an action-adventure title planned for 2018. Rivals emerged as a third-person shooter scheduled for 2018 before being cancelled.
Non-Exclusive Licensing Expansion
Lucasfilm revived the Lucasfilm Games label in January 2021 as licensing brand for all IP from Lucasfilm production. This included new Indiana Jones game produced by MachineGames alongside open world Star Wars game by Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment. The first major non-EA Star Wars game arrived through this new arrangement. Lucasfilm affirmed EA would still make such games but stated there was room for others. Zynga developed free-to-play competitive arena combat game Star Wars Hunters announced in February 2021 for Nintendo Switch and app stores. Aspyr announced remake of Knights Of The Old Republic as timed console exclusive for PlayStation 5 in September 2021. Jennifer Hale returned as Bastila Shan among voice actors working on original titles. Quantic Dream began developing Star Wars Eclipse set in High Republic Era during December 2021 Game Awards event. Respawn confirmed three Star Wars titles in development including sequel to Jedi Fallen Order, first-person shooter, and strategy game with Bit Reactor studio. First-person shooter project subsequently cancelled while Galactic Racer announced for 2026 release. Fate of the Old Republic planned for 2027 launch.
Cultural Impact And Crossovers
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 released in 2001 featured unlockable Darth Maul across multiple platforms. Activision published Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 in 2002 featuring unlockable Jango Fett. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings appeared in 2009 with unlockable Han Solo. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures included cameos from other Star Wars characters in 2008. Minecraft received various Star Wars DLC packs with character skins starting in 2009. Fortnite added cosmetic Stormtrooper outfit in 2019 while Din Djarin and Grogu appeared as purchasable cosmetics in 2020 chapter two season five event. The Sims 4 Journey to Batuu pack focused on adventures on distant planet of Batuu released the 8th of September 2020. Night Shift platform game from 1990 featured action figures of various Star Wars characters. Secret Weapons Over Normancy included unlockable X-Wing and TIE Fighter flight simulation elements in 2003. Soulcalibur IV brought Darth Vader to PlayStation 3 version and Yoda to Xbox 360 version in 2008 before all DLC removed in late 2016 due to licensing legal problems caused by Disney purchase. Frontwire Studios began producing unofficial Battlefront installment Galaxy in Turmoil on the 25th of January 2016 using Unreal Engine 4. Lucasfilm requested production halt on the 22nd of June 2016 leading to cancellation due to possibility of taking attention from Electronic Arts franchise.
When did Apple Computer produce the first unlicensed Star Wars game?
Apple Computer produced an unlicensed Star Wars game on cassette tape for its Apple II in 1978. A player acting as a space pilot trainee destroyed TIE fighters using a first-person heads-up display.
What year was Star Wars Legends declared non-canon to the franchise?
On the 24th of April 2014, most previous licensed Star Wars video games were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. This decision affected all media produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars including novels and comics.
Which company received exclusive rights to produce Star Wars games for consoles and PC from Disney?
Disney and Lucasfilm revealed a partnership with Electronic Arts on the 3rd of April 2013 granting EA exclusive rights to produce Star Wars games for consoles and PC for a decade. EA released its first Star Wars video game under the Disney brand on the 14th of October 2014.
Who developed the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPG?
BioWare developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic which debuted on Microsoft Xbox and PC in 2003 winning Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Obsidian Entertainment created its sequel The Sith Lords in 2004.
When did Star Wars Galaxies servers shut down?
Star Wars Galaxies launched in 2003 as the first MMORPG before servers shut down on the 15th of December 2011. This title was part of the era that ended when most previous licensed Star Wars video games were rebranded as Star Wars Legends.